Temporal Mandibular Disorder (TMD/TMJ)
What is TMD/TMJ?
The TMJ connects the lower jaw to the skull in front of the ear. Certain facial muscles that control chewing are also attached to the lower jaw. You can easily find your TMJ by placing your fingers in front of either ear and opening your mouth. You should feel changing shapes beneath your fingers. Problems with the TMJ or the surrounding structures cause TMD.
What are some of the problems that cause TMD?
There are number of causes for TMD. The most common is clenching your jaw or grinding your teeth during sleep. These moments overwork the jaw muscles and put pressure on the joint.
TMD can also be caused by the following:
- disc dislocation
- when ill-fitting dental fillings, crowns, dentures, etc. make the bite uneven
- trauma to the mouth i.e. a fall directly on the jaw or dental surgery
- hereditary issues
- specific diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, gout or fibromyalgia
What are the symptoms of TMD?
TMD can have many symptoms that can be present all the time, or come and go. Some of these include;
- trouble opening and closing your mouth
- jaw locking, clicking or popping
- headaches
- pain in the jaw
- pain in the neck or face
- difficulty chewing
- ear pain
How can the Calgary Sports Chiropractic Center help?
The doctors at the Calgary Sports Chiropractic Center will first assess the cause of your TMD. Most TMJ conditions respond well to conservative treatment like what we do here at the Calgary Sports Chiropractic Center.
If the doctor at the Calgary Sports Chiropractic Center decides your specific case of TMD can benefit from treatment here, they may proceed with a few different methods, such as joint mobilizations/manipulations/adjustments; soft tissue therapy, which works to relax muscles and soft tissues in order to optimize their function and release scar tissue formation.
The doctors at the Calgary Sports Chiropractic Center may also work with your dentist to ensure that the treatment chosen is the correct one for you.
Our doctors may also advise you of certain postural changes you can make, especially in the upper-neck, which could be causing or contributing to your TMD as well.